Oranges, grapefruits, avocados, these are so plentiful during the winter months and a good thing too as they help to brighten those dreary winter days. Normally I just peel and eat the fruits as is, but while steaming a batch of lentil sprouts I got to thinking that I should really combine all these goodies into a salad. Thus was born Winter Lentil Sprouts Salad. The addition of blue cheese (I am a blue cheese lover) gave this salad a special touch (if you are not a blue cheese fan, leave it out). Chopped kalamata or other black olives would be good too but did not have any on hand.
Use this recipe as a guide, add what you like, omit what you dislike. There is no exact quantity given as this is one of those recipes where quantity does not matter.
Winter Lentil Sprouts Salad
Ingredients
½ – 1 cup steamed lentil sprouts
1 – 2 grapefruit, peeled and sectioned. Leave sections whole or cut into smaller pieces (see How to Section Citrus Fruits below)
1 – 2 oranges, peeled and sectioned. Leave sections whole or cut into smaller pieces (see How to Section Citrus Fruits below)
1 – 2 avocados, peeled and cut into wedges or chunks
Salad greens or lettuce of choice, leave whole, tear apart or shred
¼ – ½ red onion diced
Crumbled blue cheese to taste, optional
Cilantro or parsley for garnish
Your favorite vinaigrette dressing or try the Miso Salad Dressing below
Preparation
1. Line individual salad plates with salad greens or lettuce, arrange orange sections, grapefruit sections and avocado slices on greens. Top with steamed lentil sprouts, blue cheese, red onion and cilantro/parsley.
2. Drizzle vinaigrette dressing over and serve. (I prefer to serve the dressing on the side.)
OR
Place all the ingredients in a salad bowl, toss with vinaigrette dressing and serve.
For additional lentil sprouts recipes visit: Cooking with Lentil Sprouts 2 and Cooking with Lentil Sprouts 3
Copyright © by Norma Chang
How to Section Grapefruit and Orange
For this task, a sharp knife is a must.
1. Cut away a slice of skin and pith from both ends of the grapefruit or orange.
2. Place grapefruit or orange on one of the cut ends on a clean cutting board.
3. Starting at the top and following the natural curve (from top to bottom) of the fruit, cut away a slice of skin and pith. Continue until the whole fruit is peeled.
4. Holding the peeled fruit in one hand (over a bowl to catch the juices), cut between the membranes to release the sections. Squeeze the membrane to extract any remaining juice. Enjoy a glass of fresh squeezed citrus juice or use as part of the salad dressing.
Miso Salad dressing
Ingredients
1 tablespoon miso or to taste
1 – 3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
1 – 2 teaspoons of honey or sugar
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil, optional
few turns of ground white pepper or black pepper
¼ cup juice from orange and/or grapefruit or water
Preparation
In a small bowl combine miso, rice vinegar, honey and sesame oil well. Slowly mix in juice or water to desired consistency. Adjust taste and serve. Can be used right away but I like it better when allowed to mellow overnight.
Related posts you might be interested in:
Click here for Growing Lentil Sprouts
Click here for Lentil Sprouts with Pine Nuts Lettuce Wrap
Click here for Lentil Sprouts Soups
Copyright © by Norma Chang
Robin, The Gardener of Eden, is the host for Thursdays Kitchen Cupboard. Head on over to Thursday’s Kitchen Cupboard to see what others are cooking.
Garden to Wok 
This sounds great!
Hello Mireia,
Thanks.
Norma I love a citrus salad and don’t mind the time it takes to take the rind and section the fruit. It’s such a fresh taste, especially in the winter. The addition of the lentil sprouts is something I’ve never done. Great idea!
I need to get my sprouting going on.
Hello Maureen,
Let me know how you like growing sprouts. I think it is a great deal of fun, so easy and rewarding for such little effort.
Thank you Norma. Interesting salad. I love the miso dressing too.
Hello Marina,
You are most welcome.
Another goodie today – and the proper way to peel citrus fruit. Thanks.
Birds and Blooms Magazine asked for good blogs so I sent in yours – hope they pick it out – I sure find it interesting.
🙂
Hello Toni,
Thanks for submitting my blog to Birds and Blooms Magazine. How will I know if they pick me?
Oh, the tutorial on sectioning an orange was very helpful!
Hello Yummychunklet,
Thanks. I tried to make it clear and easy. Hope I succeeded.
I’m so glad I stopped by your blog…I want to make your sprouted lentil salad…I have all the ingredients and my Hubby would love this salad. I’ll be checking out your other posts…looks great!
Hello Krissy,
Thanks for stopping by. Looking forward to you future visits.
I don’t usually cook or use Lentils at all. And I’ve always wanted to give it a try to see if I would like them. But this salad really came out look delicious Ms. Norma.
Hello Kay,
Get a small amount of lentils, say 1/4 pounds. from the health food store to try out, if you do not like them it will not a be big loss.
That is an absolutely wonderful looking salad Norma, and I love miso dressing, too! I want to dive in it look so good.
Hello B & B,
Thanks. It tastes better if allowed to develop overnight.
Yum! and that Miso dressing looks wonderful!
Hello Alyssa,
Don’t know why, but it does taste better after sitting overnight.
That’s a great winter salad. So many flavours. I love the combination of citrus and avocado and yes, I’m fine with blue cheese so that would be a great addition too.
Hello Hotlyspiced,
I wish I had the black olives on hand, forgot to replenish. Just love blue cheese and black olives combo.
This sounds like a lovely salad, Norma 🙂
Hello Sydney,
Yes it is.
Norma I bet this smells wonderful too.
I’m not a blue cheese fan but everything else sounds divine.
How does making a lentil sprout change the nutrients?
Happy cooking :0)
Hello Kim,
Here is a link that explains the health benefits of sprouts. http://healthrecipes.com/growing_sprouts.htm
I’ve always peeled citrus for segmenting by cutting down the fruit. I’ll have to try your method. I make a similar salad with black olives as you suggest. I really like the combination of avocado citrus & something salty.
Hello Liz,
Let me know if you find my method of sectioning citrus fruit easier. We both have the same good taste, lol.
Nice healthy salad, thanks for sharing.
Hello Mac,
You are welcome.
Hi Norma – so lovely to see what you’re using the sprouts for – the winter salad looks wonderful – I bet it’s a fabulous blend of citrus goodness, mixed with the wonderful rich green creaminess of the avocado!
Hello Charles,
Yes, it was delicious and great with the blue cheese, too bad I ran out of black olives.
I am going to make you 5 hours eggs and noticed from your photo you had the eggs on the oven rack. Can I put them on a tray? You see to justify the 5 hours cooking time I am also going to dry out some tofu at the same time. In case the eggs crack I do not want them spattering on my tofu.